The invention relates to a tape end detector for reel driven cassette tape recorders of a small size, and more particularly to such detector which automatically detects when the terminal end of a tape being taken up is reached.
A cassette tape recorder of a small size which employs a cassette tape having its opposite ends secured to a pair of take-up and rewind hubs may be classified into two types of tape drive, namely, a capstan drive and a reel driven type. With the capstan drive type, the tape is transported by the cooperation between a capstan and a pinch roller, and this enables the tape to be positively fed at a uniform rate at the expense of a complex arrangement for the provision of the capstan and the pinch roller. With the reel driven type, the tape is transported by directly driving either hub, so that the construction can be simplified even though the tape transport speed may vary to a certain degree.
A tape cassette or the reel driven type is primarily used for a short duration of playing time because of the difficulty involved with feeding the tape at uniform rate, as exemplified owned by Mini Cassette Tape (registered trademark by Philips). Such cassette tape is used in a dictating machine and a cassette tape recorder of a miniature size. By contrast, a tape cassette of the capstan drive type is manufactured in two sizes including the compact cassette and the micro-cassette and has a playing time which ranges from a short period to a prolonged period. A variety of cassette tape recorders are also available for use with such variety of tape cassettes of the capstan drive type. Various improvements have been made in the cassette tape recorder of the capstan drive type and include the detection of a tape end being reached during a record/playback operation of the recorder. In one arrangement, the tape end is detected to stop the recorder operation automatically. In another arrangement referred to as an auto-shutoff apparatus, the operative condition of the recorder is released upon the tape end being reached, returning all of the operating members of the recorder to their respective inoperative positions in an automatic manner.
However, these capabilities are not available with a cassette tape recorder of a miniature size which utilizes a mini-cassette tape of reel driven type.